CES 2014: Meet Mercedes-Benz's Resident Futurist

Most Read

With his unbuttoned leather vest and curly locks of grey hair, you'd expect to see him at the Conscious Life Expo than mixed in with CES's hodgepodge of Google-glass donning enthusiasts and suit-clad execs—which is exactly why we were drawn to the 25-year Daimler veteran at this year's event.

Beneath the din of blaring music and product demonstrations at the Las Vegas Convention Center, techy chatter about bleeding edge hardware usually drowns out big picture discussions about behavioral science, the convergence of man and machine, and the social network of visionaries who will bring that tech to life. And while Mercedes-Benz gave glimpses at their automous driving tech, potential multimedia integration with brands like Nest and Pebble, and the upcoming C-Class and S-Class Coupe, we caught up with Mankowsky to learn about how the three-pointed mothership seeks to cut a swath through the quick-changing world of automotive technology.

Unlike product engineers or R&D guys, Mankowski's job description requires a wholistic view that merges behavioral patterns and new technology. His background in social science and artificial intelligence makes him one of the rare few tasked with crystal balling the future.

How does Mankowski help keep the 128 year-old company relevant? It's not just about advanced design and augmented reality labs; Mercedes-Benz's resident futurist breaks the daunting task down into three stages.

"First, you need to dive deep into the past and understand the driving forces [of what created] innovations." Pinning down the past, he says, goes a long way towards setting a course for new technology. The second step requires expanding your network. "When you understand the past," he explains, "you reach out to the pioneers and the avant garde"—that is, the radical voices who tend to champion disruptive technology. The third (and most difficult) stage is the creation process itself, where new technologies are conceived, developed, tested, and implemented. "That's the most intense part," he says of the process, which involves merging designers and engineers, many of whom likely don't see eye-to-eye on how that technology should come to life. "These three steps," he says, "create the future."

While it still takes a village of gearheads and geeks to bring tomorrow's future to life, it's folks like Alexander Mankowsky who will play a key role in curating how cars and culture merge.